Page 12 of Fury

“I didn’t. I’m going to call the police and tell them what happened.”

“Go on then, tell them you pushed her out of rage and killed her ...”

I shake my head in confusion and horror. “You saw that I didn’t. I didn’t push her. I didn’t. You know I didn’t. Ethan, you have to tell them I didn’t.”

“Tell them?” He laughs, bitterly. “Oh, Alexis, I’m not telling them anything.”

“What is wrong with you?” I scream, gripping the sides of my head.

He leans in close. “I’m not going down for anything, but you are.”

What is he talking about?

Turning, he cleans up all our things and then climbs up from the spot we’re in. Glancing over my shoulder desperately, I know I don’t have a choice, and I climb up after him.

“Ella and I called you to the lookout, we just wanted to do the right thing,” he says, casually, his eyes meeting mine. “But you were just so mad, you wouldn’t calm down ...”

“No ...”

“She told you that we had fallen in love. She was so sorry, crying her eyes out, saying that she didn’t mean to, and she didn’t want to hurt you. You got mad, and you lost it, pushing her over the side.”

“What are you doing?” I cry, shaking my head desperately.

He shrugs, casually. “I’m not going down for this. Fortunately, I have proof, so I don’t need to worry. You look pathetic, really, crawling around on the rock crying that you didn’t mean to. It’s all they’ll need ...”

No.

No.

He can’t do this to me.

“Please, Ethan,” I beg, my voice a desperate plea. “Please. I’ll do anything. Please don’t go to the police. I will do anything you want, anything at all, please.”

He pauses, and a slow smile spreads across his face.

Closing the distance between us, he reaches out and curls his fingers around my upper arm, pulling me close. “Anything?”

I nod, frantically. “I don’t want to go to prison. I don’t ... I didn’t mean for her to fall. Please. You’re my husband. Please.”

“Okay.” He squeezes my arm a little tighter. “I’ll keep your little secret. But hear me now, Alexis, I own you. From this moment forward, you do everything I tell you to do. You will be the perfect little wife. If you don’t, I’ll make sure the whole town knows what kind of monster you are. You know they’ll believe me the moment I show them that video. You will go down for the rest of your days.”

An agonized wail rips from my throat.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” he growls.

I nod, hiccupping as my knees try to give way from beneath me.

“Good. Now you’ll never go against me.” He smiles, pleased with himself. “If you do, the police will receive the video of you crying out as you stare over the edge of the cliff, Ella’s dead body lying on the ground below.”

He’s a monster.

A true monster.

And now, he owns me.

Once again, a vicious nightmare rips me from my sleep.

Only this time, I’m on the sofa.

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